Metallurgical furnace.



U. WEDGE.

METALLURGIGAL FURNAGE.

APPLICATION P11111) 1313.14, 1911.

11,040,071. Patented 00111912,

WITNESSES NVENTOR 712i@ CLI uJ/b UTLEY WEDGE BY HIS ATTORNE l'UNITED STATES .PATENT- "()ildFICl 3.

UTLEY WEDGE, OF ARDMORE, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE FURNACE PATENT VANIA.

METALLURGICAL FURNACE. t

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented oct fi, 1912.

Application filed February 11;7 1911. Serial No. 608,628.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, U'rLnY VEDGE, a. citizen of the United States, residing in Ardmore, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, have 'invented certain Improvements in Metallurgical Furnaces, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates mainly to that type of metallurgical furnaces which have superposed treating chambers and hearths, and in which the products of combustion from a fireplace or fireplaces are applied directly to the material under treatment in one orA more of the treating chambers of the fur nace, the objectsof my invention being to' maintain an equable heat in said chamber or chambers and to regulatethe heat in the different chambers of the furnace. These objects I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference being had to the accom-` panying drawing, which represents a longitudinal vertical section of a furnace constructed in accordance with my invention.

In the drawing, 1. represents the outer wall of the furnace, 2 the superposed hearths. 3 the superposed working chambers and 4 the roof of the furnace, which may be utilized for the storage and drying of the ore or other material to be treated, and which may be furnished with any of the ordinary means for feeding the ore onto the uppermost hearth,

The furnace has a central rotating shaft 5 which is intended to be provided 1n each of the working chambers of the furnace with projecting arms 6, shown in the pres-'F ent instance in the lowermost chamber only, these arms being intended to be provided with the usual rabbles for feeding the material over the successive hearths and causing it to pass by gravity from hearth to hearth through suitably disposed openings y 7 formed in said hearths in the usual manner. In furnaces of this type, it is sometimes desirable to apply directly to the material in one or more of the treating chambers of the series, products of combustion derived from one or more fireplaces located adjacent to the furnace, but where these products of combustion enter the treating chambers directly from such fireplace or fireplaces, the heat is not always as equable as is desirable,

especially when wood is employed as fuel,

as the temperatures of said products of com bustion will frequently vary within wide limits at differenttimes. In order to correct this defect, I provide heating chambers 9 between successive treating chambers, and admit the products of combustion to these heating chambers as well as to the treating chambers of the furnace.

Asshown in the drawing, there are two fireplaces 10, one at each side of the furnace,

these iireplaces communicating with thev heating chambers '9 throughv upper and lower. fines l1 and 12, a portion of the products of combustion from the lower'iiue 12 being deflected into the lowermost treating chamber and passing thence'in succession through the treating chambers above it, and the/'products of combustion from the upper flue 11 passing first through the upper heating chamber 9 and thence into the treating chamber above the lowermost, from which they pass in succession through the treating chambers above, The heating chambers 9 y thus serve tb store the heat and aid in main` taining an equa-ble temperature in the treating chambers and compensate for variations in the temperature of the products of com bustion at different times. The products of combustion in passing from the flues 1l into the chamber 9 pass around the lues 7, the latterbeing only of restricted diameter and hence offering no material obstacle to theV passage of the gases. Suitable dampers 13 in the fiues 11 and 12 serve to regulate the flow therethrough or cut off such'flow en-.

tirely, as may be desired. In order to regulate the heat in the upper treating chambers of the furnaces, I provide communication between the gas outlet flue and a number of said' chambers, for instance, in the furnace shown in the drawing, gas outlets 15 are provided from the lirst, third and fifth chambers, eachrv of these outlets being intendedto be provided witha suitable damper so that it may be opened and closed as desired. If, therefore, the temperature is too high in the upper chambers of the furnace, a portion of the gases may be drawn ofl" from the fifth chamber, and if the temperature in the uppermost chambers is still in excess of that desired, still more of the gases may be drawn olf from the thirdV My invention is, of course, equally appli,

cable to furnaces in which the draft is down- Ward instead of upward, the final escape of gas being from the lowermost chamber. i

I claim:

1. A furnace having a treating chamber with heating chamber above the same, e fireplace, and mea ns for conveying the products of combustion therefrom into the heating chamber, the latter communicating with the treating chamber below it and said treating chamber having a ges outlet whereby the products of combustion which venter the heating cha'mber can pass downwardly from the latter into and through the trenting chamber.

2. A furnace 'having a eeries of superposed treating chambers, each treating Copies of this patent may be obtained for chamber having a heathigehnniber above the same, aireplace, and moons for conveying the products of combustion therefrom into each of the heating chambers, each of the latter being in communication With the treating chamber below it and such treating chamber having a gas outlet whereby the products of combustion from euch heating chamber can pass downwardly into and through the treatingl chamber below it. ln testimony whereof, have signed my neme to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

UTLEY VVEDGE. Witnesses:

KATE A, BEADLE, HAMILTON D. TURNER.

ve cents each, by addressing the Gommissioncr of Patente, Washington, D. C. 

